John Armstrong leaves retail sector as he swaps Burberry IT role for CIO position at Regent's University London

Regent's University London, a private university which is part of Galileo Global Education, reports that John Armstrong will be joining it on 2nd June as Chief Information Officer.

He was previously at Burberry, where he spent the past nine years working as part of its IT senior leadership team and leading the transformation of IT in various roles: the VP of Global Supply Chain IT and more recently as the VP of Global Enterprise Data & Applications. 

Prior to Burberry, he worked as a senior consultant for Capgemini, IBM and PwC across numerous industry sectors.  

Vice-Chancellor and CEO of Regent’s University London Professor Geoff Smith says: ‘I’m thrilled that John is joining us at this pivotal point in our journey as a university. He brings with him a wealth of experience as a transformational technology leader, and he is passionate about the support and wellbeing of those around him."

"What’s more, John is a well connected leader in the IT and fashion communities and has worked as a volunteer with the British Fashion Council giving operational support and mentoring to small UK fashion companies. John gets our purpose and our ambition, and I know he’ll make a massive impact on our progress across all fronts."

Charlotte Baldwin

Burberry recently announced the appointment of Charlotte Baldwin as Chief Information Officer.

Baldwin, who joined from Costa Coffee (where she held the role of Global Chief Digital & Information Officer) at the end of March, will be responsible for leading its global technology team. She will be part the executive committee and will report to Burberry Chief Executive Officer Joshua Schulman.

Schulman commented: “Charlotte is a highly experienced technology and digital leader with a track record of leading large scale digital transformation. I am delighted that she will be joining our leadership team and look forward to working with her to advance our technological capabilities and drive our strategy forward.”

Baldwin says: "Whilst I am sad to say goodbye to my team and colleagues at Costa, the time has come for a new chapter. I am thrilled to be joining Burberry as CIO, helping to drive the company's strategy forward."

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Fashion retail will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.